Review of The Lady from Shanghai (1947) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011
This is one of the finest films ever made. I have found it's really hard not to like a film even touching Orson Welles. He is a genius and we all know it, but back in the '40's, most people didn't.
We consider "Citizen Kane" the best movie ever made, but when it was released, it was only popular with critics, and people actually thought of him as a wannabe. After "Kane", he had had mostly failures, and the only that was a hit was "The Stranger".
The thing was, he only made it to gain back some popularity, and really actually didn't like making simple movies. He made this one to go back to what he loved. Movie boss Harry Cohn (who everyone at Columbia Studio hated) despised this picture when he first saw it, and it was likewise with the audience, so he cut the original 150 minutes to 87.
We can never see the original copy of this unfortunately :-( I think it's very fortunate that the final cut is still a great movie. The premise is so dark and dreary, when it sucks you in, you can't get out for a while.
Though far off and unrealistic, this movie is a heck of a ride, and with all of the murder and romance this film brings, it makes the seedy underworld a little more scary. Welles is absolutely great here: though his acting isnt that good, it's OK.
His direction AND screen writing skills are seriously at his best here providing every character with memorable lines. Like most of his films, the cinematography is full on noir, and when the famous hall of mirrors scene starts, it wows you, and makes you just as confused as the murderers.
Though I appreciated all of Welles work, Hayworth is the one that is excellent acting wise. For an entire hour and fifteen minutes, she's the sweet, innocent pulled into all of the crap going on, and then out of the blue, she's the biggest b*tch ever.
She makes the transition smooth, and really makes the plot twist better. Her character is so terrible it's almost unbelievable. "The Lady from Shanghai" is a treasure among classic movies.
This review of The Lady from Shanghai (1947) was written by Blake P on 17 Aug 2011.
The Lady from Shanghai has generally received very positive reviews.
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